the road to premonition
by shel
Summary: can a pregnant phoebe recover her life after awakening from a faint...
1. prologue

**CHARMED **

**"The Road to Premonition"**

by shel

© august 2006

_disclaimer: the charmed ones, cole, and leo, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too…_

_rating: pg-13_

_summary: can a pregnant phoebe recover her life after awakening from a faint…_

_archive: please don't without expressed permission…_

_notes: there are references to s8's 'forever charmed,' s4's 'bite me,' 'we're off to see the wizard,' s2's 'heartbreak city,' s4's 'womb raider,' 'long live the queen,' 'charmed and dangerous,' s5's 'the eyes have it,' and s4's 'witch way now'…please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not…and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames…_

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_**Prologue**_

Delicious. '_Is that_ _eggs I smell?_' Phoebe opened her eyes with a smile in anticipation of breakfast.

Confusion. '_Why am I lying on the floor?_' She spotted the phone receiver next to her hand. "Coop?"

Nausea. '_God, I hate morning sickness._' She loved being pregnant with each of her three girls but nausea was the one aspect she hated with a passion. She closed her eyes, brought her hand to her throat, and hoped it would pass quickly.

Dizziness. '_How the hell does a room spin with your eyes closed?_' "Coop, keep the girls in their rooms, okay?"

Silence. '_Why aren't the girls chattering like they always are?_' But a wave of nausea kept her from calling out again.

Emptiness. '_Why can't I feel Coop?_' She hadn't ever felt this disconnected from him.

Love. '_I can't believe how lucky I am to be married to him._' Never had she imagined that two people could form such a tight bond that only grew with each passing day.

Life. '_I can't wait to meet you, my ladybug-to-be._' Her hand brushed along her belly and the baby just beginning to grow within her and she smiled as she recalled the premonition that had shown she and Coop were going to add a fourth daughter to their brood.

Exhilaration. '_I can't believe he's so excited._' The same as when they learned she was pregnant with their first. It didn't matter at all to him they weren't having a boy.

Peace. '_I've got an amazing life and wouldn't trade it for anything._' "Honey, can you come here for a sec?"

Impatience. '_Why hasn't he answered?_' She wrinkled her nose and concentrated solely on her husband and their love.

Worry. '_I can't feel him._ _What if something happened?_' Maybe she hadn't fainted because of the pregnancy but because of a demonic attack.

Relief. '_Nope, no bruises or burns or cuts._' Even her nightgown was in one piece. If only the nausea would go away.

Curiosity. '_Something about the nightgown I should remember…_' Slowly propping herself up, she verbally called out, "Hey, Coop, your wife's calling from the floor of the dining area."

Fear. '_What the hell?_' She slowly stood, maintained her balance, and scanned the room, "This isn't happening…Oh, God, Coop, where are you?"

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	2. part 1

_**Part One**_

Coop didn't respond to her cry any more than he had to her earlier ones and, with horror, Phoebe realized she truly couldn't feel him. It wasn't some momentary weakness. Their connection was gone. Her knees buckled and she sank onto one of the chairs. '_I can't be here!_' The nightgown! That's what was wrong! She didn't own it anymore. '_Not since I threw it in the garbage a few weeks after it ended._' She hadn't wanted any reminders. '_Stupid, even without it, there were reminders of him, of us._' Her heart pounded as she scanned the room and realized it all looked the same. '_This isn't happening!_'

The penthouse. The site of so many bittersweet memories. The site where she'd been forced to vanquish her husband.

She unconsciously stroked her belly, recalling ironically how she'd also been pregnant back then. '_Omigod, I've gone back in time!_' She leapt from the chair as more details, long buried, sprang to mind. Cole had left her at breakfast and the doctor had called, confirming the pregnancy. And she had fainted. '_Somehow my faint this morning at breakfast triggered a portal that linked me to my faint here in the past._' She took a deep breath, "I've got to get back. Coop!"

But their broken connection meant he couldn't hear her, couldn't travel back in time to get her. So she focused on the next best person, "Leo! Leo, I need help!" She darted away from the table and all the memories and practically collapsed in Leo's arms when he orbed in front of her. "Thank God, Leo, you've gotta help me! I've gotta get back!"

"Calm down, Phoebe," Leo suggested as he glanced to his wife who had orbed with him and Paige. But Phoebe was trembling so he guided her to the sofa in order to seat her.

"No," Phoebe resisted as she clung to him. No way was she sitting where she and Cole had once, no, many times… "Just send me back. That's all I want."

"Send you back where, honey?" Piper asked as she approached her sister. '_She's way too pale._' She glanced around the room, "Cole left already?"

"You wanna come home with us?" Paige asked hopefully.

But Phoebe shook her head, groaned from the movement, covered her mouth, and ran past them for the bathroom.

Piper stared after her sister and kept her voice low, "Do you think she knows what we've been talking about?"

"How could she? She's been living here…with Cole."

Piper kept her gaze on the shut bathroom door, "I don't know, Paige, maybe this wasn't a good idea. We were gonna wait a few days to talk to her about Cole."

"But we're here now," Paige persisted, "because she called Leo for help. For help, Piper. Something's wrong and we can't let it wait one more day. Phoebe has to know that Cole's a demon again."

"We don't know that," Piper snapped before apologizing. "Look, Paige, Phoebe loves Cole and we don't have any proof. It's one thing to tell her we suspect he's working with demons again, it's another to --"

"Keep in mind," Leo cautioned both as he interrupted, "that she's obviously sick and the news will be a shock no matter how you phrase it."

"I think she's already in shock," Piper murmured. "Did you see her?"

Phoebe returned to the others, her face damp from the washcloth she'd used to cool it, and she made her way back to the sofa. '_Why do I have to relive this nightmare?_'

"Feeling better, Pheebs?" Piper asked while brushing some bangs off Phoebe's forehead after Phoebe wearily sat down.

"Why'd they send me back?" Phoebe whispered, closing her eyes.

"Send you back? Who?" When Leo caught her eyes roll to the ceiling, he told her, "The Elders didn't warn me about anything like that happening."

"You're from the future?" Paige acknowledged with surprise. Maybe they could use the information to their advantage in how to deal with Cole.

"Maybe we should call Cole," Piper suggested. '_Maybe it's not as bad as we think. They still love each other, that has to count for something._' But when she saw Phoebe panting heavily, she immediately sat next to her sister and grabbed Phoebe's hand, "Deep breaths, sweetie. You're not in danger. Slow deep breaths. Leo, why don't you try Cole's cell?"

But Paige watched Phoebe's reaction. '_She's freaking out even more._' "Honey, did Cole do something to you?" she gently questioned. "It's okay, you can tell us," she added, ignoring the glare Piper shot her way.

Phoebe's laugh was tinged with hysteria, "That's the understatement of the century, Paige." But she wasn't about to deal with their questions and she cut off both sisters from speaking, "Yes, I'm from the future but I'm not saying anything else. I won't risk changing it."

They'd dealt with enough time travel situations that Piper understood Phoebe's reasons so she reluctantly tamped down her own curiosity and turned to Leo, "There must be a reason she appeared here, some lesson to learn, maybe?"

"It's possible," he conceded, "but if the Elders have sent her back, they would've warned me."

"Sometimes Leo," Phoebe sighed tiredly as the room spun, "you have way too much faith in the Elders."

'_Great, now we have to worry about the Elders too?_' "You can't say something like that without explaining," Paige told her as Piper steadied her. "What'd the Elders do?"

Phoebe shook her head to remind her sister she wouldn't answer but that only made the dizziness worse. She took a deep breath and exhaled before saying, "I won't risk the future, Paige. My life is better than I'd dreamed and I'm happy and --"

Piper pulled her sister into her arms when Phoebe burst into tears. "Shhh, we'll figure it out. It's okay, Pheebs…"

But Paige wouldn't let the matter drop and asked, point-blank, "Are we still alive?"

"Paige!"

"I'm sorry, Piper, but wouldn't you have wanted to know you were about to lose Prue?"

"Yes," Phoebe sniffled, pushing herself back. '_I won't torture them like that._' She looked from Piper to Paige, "Yes, you're both alive and you're both very happy." But she would keep secret all the pain they suffered in order to attain that happiness. "Please, Leo, you've gotta go up There and get them to send me back. I can't, I just can't live this again."

"What's going on?"

All heads turned to find Cole standing in the room.

"What, what're you doing here?" Phoebe stammered.

"I didn't hear the door," Paige muttered with a suspicious glance to Piper.

"I got worried when I kept getting a busy signal and you weren't answering your cell so I turned around," he explained as he looked from one face to the next and finally settled on Phoebe's stricken one. "What's wrong? Are you sick again? Did you call the doctor? Leo, maybe you should check --"

"Calm down, Cole," Leo requested, "we only just got here. She's been dizzy and sick at least once that we know of but beyond that…"

"Call the doctor, it has to be more than anemia," Cole suggested with concern as he stood before her. '_Tell me you're pregnant._'

"She called for Leo," Paige declared, glaring at him from behind. "She wanted his help."

'_She asked for the Whitelighter? Not good._' Cole knelt in front of his wife, "Could it be an aftereffect from the vampires? You don't have to keep it secret from me, Phoebe. I told you, you don't have to protect me from them or any demon."

"No, Cole, I don't imagine I do," she tiredly retorted. But when he reached for her hand, she scrambled away from him and slid off the sofa. "Stay away from me…"

Not understanding her reaction, he tried to steady her when she swayed but even then she slapped away his hands. '_What if she's not pregnant? What if a demon attacked?_' He reached out to her and calmly said, "Honey, talk to me. I can't make it better if you don't talk to me. Did something happen after I left you?"

But Phoebe began hyperventilating again and gasped for breath, "Don't touch me!"

"I'm your husband, Phoebe," he reminded her, "I'll protect you from anything, from anyone."

'_Is he insane?_' Her eyes widened, "No you're not, not anymore! Just, just stay away from me!"

"What?" he uttered with genuine confusion. "Exactly what's going on here?" he demanded.

'_C'mon, Cole, call for your demon buddies. Show Phoebe your true colors._' Paige was about to step in front of Cole when Phoebe hugged herself and looked up to the ceiling. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Coop! Coop! Please, I need you! You have to come here! Please, you've gotta come get me!"

"Who the hell is Coop?"

"I don't know, Cole," Piper honestly replied. "Sweetie, maybe you should lie down for a bit," she suggested as she stood and approached her sister. "You're sick, you need to rest."

'_Something's really wrong if she's even backing away from Piper._' "Phoebe, please, you need to sit down." But even as he spoke the words, Phoebe collapsed and Cole barely managed to catch her before she hit the floor. If he hadn't been holding her, he'd have incinerated the intruder, blowing his cover or not. "Who the hell are you?"

Looking in the direction he turned, Phoebe covered her mouth to smother a shriek and managed to push herself out of Cole's arms. "Coop!" She flew into his arms and sagged slightly as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "Oh, Coop," she cried, "I couldn't feel you before…"

Coop instinctively comforted the petite brunette and when her sobs eased off, he gently pried her free and admitted, "I'm sorry but I have no idea why I'm here."

"I'm not sure either," she sniffled before smiling at him, "but now that you are, we can just get out of here."

Coop's face brightened when he recognized the person standing closest to them, "Piper Halliwell, I can't believe it." He then realized in whose company he was, "Wow, the Charmed Ones. I'm honored."

"Who the hell are you?" Cole angrily repeated. '_Dammit, They can't have sent another Whitelighter. They're not smart enough to have figured it out._'

Coop smiled uneasily, "I'm a Cupid. Call me Coop. You must be Cole Turner." He chuckled, "Talk about couples fighting destiny to be together…"

'_Then Loverboy will be easy enough to get rid of._' Cole reluctantly shook the hand the cupid had extended, "Thanks, it's good to know we've got some magical beings on our side."

"Cupids are always on the side of love," Coop assured him.

"Like I said, good to know," Cole forced a smile, "but I'm afraid we're in the middle of something here…"

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Coop quickly apologized, "but I heard, Phoebe I guess, calling me, crying for me. It was almost painful in a way." But his frown faded when he focused on Piper and Leo and he shook his head in awe, "Do you have any idea what an inspiration you are to cupids everywhere, to me?"

"Hey pal," Phoebe poked him in the ribs, "I'm standing right here."

He smiled in return, "Well, you and Cole aren't quite as inspirational as your sister but you're still pretty remarkable."

She laughed, momentarily forgetting her situation, "Get us out of here and I'll show you just how remarkable I can be." But when he seemed embarrassed, she poked him again, "You kidder, but joke's over, it's been a long morning and you shouldn't continue teasing a woman in my condition."

"Your condition?" Piper gasped.

"Phoebe, are you pregnant?" Paige exclaimed.

'_Yes!_' Cole grabbed Phoebe's elbow in an effort to spin her towards him, "Why didn't you tell me this morning?"

Phoebe clamped her hand over her mouth at her slip. "The doctor called after you left," she finally confessed. "Look, I want to talk to Coop…alone."

'_Not a chance, I'm not letting you out of my sight._' His look softened as he smiled and caressed her cheek, "Phoebe, we're going to have a baby…"

"Congratulations," Coop happily offered. "The best reward for a cupid is to see a new life emerge from love, not that we had anything to do with your relationship but still…"

'_What are congratulating him for? You know I'm having your baby._' Phoebe ignored the feel of Cole's touch and glared at her husband, her current husband, "Cut it out, Coop."

Confused, he focused on her, "I'm sorry, Phoebe, I mean I'm thrilled for you and Cole but you know your relationship was out of bounds for cupids."

"What are you talking about?" '_Why are you still pretending_?'

"You worked with a cupid before," Coop reminded her. "What, about two years ago? You knew when you got involved with Cole that no cupid would your relationship. I mean a good witch and a demon? Not a relationship we promote."

"We don't need to rehash old history," Cole warned him as he shrugged off Piper's cautioning hand and tugged Phoebe closer to his side.

"All I'm saying," Coop hastily clarified, "is that the two of you did this all on your own. That's why your love is so remarkable. And now, a baby…it's fantastic!"

"Enough's enough," Phoebe told him as she slapped away Cole's hand, "take me back to the girls. Take me home, Coop."

"What are you talking about?" Cole shouted, unconsciously echoing Phoebe's previous outburst.

Coop placed his hands on Phoebe's shoulders and reminded her, "You are home, Phoebe."

'_Why are you doing this? My home's with you!_' Her eyes filled with tears and she pleaded, "Stop it, Coop. It's not funny anymore…"

"I'm sorry but I have no idea what's going on. I've never even met you before."

"How can you say that? I'm your wife! I'm mother to your three little girls," she grabbed his hand and pressed it to her abdomen, "this baby! I don't know what I did to piss you off but enough, Coop! Take me home now!"

"Enough is right, Phoebe," Cole snapped as he yanked her away from the cupid.

"Watch it, Cole!" Paige warned. She reached for her sister, "Come home with us, Pheebs. You really need to lie down before you faint or something."

But Phoebe jerked her arm free, "Doing that's what got me into this nightmare."

"I'm going to check with the Elders," Leo whispered to Piper. "See if you can get her to calm down."

'_This is insane. I need to confer with the Seer._' Tapping Piper on the shoulder, Cole told her, "I don't know why I seem to be upsetting her so I'll go into the kitchen and make her some tea. Maybe she'll talk to you if you're alone."

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No sooner had he arrived in his private chamber than the Seer appeared before him. "My liege…"

"Phoebe's pregnant."

She smiled knowingly, "I told you the timing had been right. This child will be --"

"Something's wrong." He turned from her and stalked the room, "Phoebe's acting strange. She's been throwing up and she fainted after I left her this morning."

"But that is to be expected, my liege. The beginning stage of a woman's pregnancy includes fainting and nausea. In a few months, it will pas--"

"It's more than that," he angrily interrupted. "She's hysterical, irrational. She claimed to be married to a cupid and mother to his four children!" He caught the look in her eyes, "What? Have you seen that? I should have incinerated him on the spot!"

She bowed her head, "Forgive me, my liege. I should have prepared you."

"For what?" he growled.

She raised her eyes to meet his, "I'm afraid the witch will not be strong enough to withstand this pregnancy. This child, your son, is a powerful magical child and she --"

"Are you saying she'll miscarry?"

"Possibly," she admitted, "but more likely will be that she will collapse emotionally under the strain. But I am convinced, that even with her shattered mind, we will be able to monitor her and see that she carries the child to term. And after the baby is born, I will help you raise hi--"

"Not acceptable!"

"It's already begun," the Seer calmly told him. "You've said yourself she's irrational and she is but a few weeks pregnant. Do you believe she'll truly be able to withstand the power as the child grows stronger within her?"

"Phoebe will survive. She must."

"That's Cole talking, my liege," she cautiously commented. "This is a dangerous time for you. You cannot let yourself be weakened by human emotions surrounding this pregnancy."

His eyes flamed as they met her gaze, "Package deal, you know that. I need Phoebe to remain Source. Now what can be done to protect her during the pregnancy?"

"Nothing," she apologized.

"I told you, that is unacceptable!" He turned from her, "Surely there's a spell or potion…"

"Perhaps…"

He spun back, "Perhaps what?"

"There is a tonic I've been working on," she murmured. "Something I created on the chance she would have trouble later in the pregnancy adjusting to the evil flowing through her. Perhaps if I added some of my blood, it would give her the strength she needs now to cope with the changes to her body and mind."

"Do it."

"As you command," she nodded. With a wave of her hand, a crystal goblet on a silver tray appeared on a nearby table. Holding open her hand, an athame appeared in her palm and, nicking her fingertip, she let several drops of blood fall into the amber liquid. She stirred it with a spoon and presented it to the Source.

"Once Phoebe's calm, I'll get rid of her family and I'll get her back to sleep," he informed her. "Then you and I will discuss the coronation. It must proceed as quickly as possible. I don't want Phoebe back under the influence of her sisters."

The Seer smiled and, as she disappeared, assured him, "I live to serve…"

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	3. part 2

_**Part Two**_

Cole returned from the kitchen with the Seer's tonic disguised in a teacup. '_Is Loverboy still here? At least Piper got Phoebe to sit down._' Striding past the cupid, he presented to Phoebe the teacup and saucer. "Your favorite flavor. Maybe it'll help settle your stomach so we can talk about the baby." He acknowledged Piper's shrug with a nod. "What's going on, Phoebe? I'm worried about you. You don't have to keep anything from me."

Emotionally spent, Phoebe accepted the tea without arguing. The concern in his voice was almost too much for her to bear. All she wanted was for the nightmare to end. But just as she was about to sip the steaming liquid, images from that last night flashed through her mind. '_The tonic!_' She hurled the cup and saucer at Cole who barely dodged out of the way. "You bastard! I won't let you do this to me!"

'_She can't know._' Cole absentmindedly swiped at the tea spots now dotting his suit jacket. "Out with it, Phoebe, what did you see? What do you know?"

"What makes you think she had a premonition?" Paige sneered. '_We've got you now._'

"I know the truth, Cole," Phoebe replied to him as she locked her eyes with his. '_C'mon, Cole, admit it. Say it, you're the Source._'

'_Damn it all to hell, she knows._' Reaching for her hand, he promised, "Everything will be okay, Phoebe. I won't let anyone hurt us. Our family is all that matters."

'_Oh, God, Paige was right. Cole really is working with demons. That's why Phoebe's so angry with him. She didn't know in the past but she knows now._ _And Cole doesn't know she's from the future. I have to get her out of here._' Piper neared her sister, "Sweetie, why don't you come home with us? Cole, you should probably go to work, I mean you just started this job, you shouldn't suddenly start taking off. We'll keep an eye on her and call you later."

He was just about to "thank" Piper when the Seer materialized in the room. "What the hell?"

"You!" Without thinking about what she was doing, Phoebe angrily let fire shoot from her hand attacking the Seer.

"Omigod," Piper gasped just as Paige hurried to her side.

"Phoebe, no!" Cole threw his arm around her, breaking her concentration and the flame. "Are you out of your mind? The Seer's dangerous and you're pregnant! You'd risk the baby?"

"With this active power?" she taunted as she flamed the Seer again. '_Maybe there is one good thing after all about being back here in my past-self's body._' She grinned as the Seer's robes began to smoke and catch flame.

"Flame-throwing," Piper uttered as Coop pulled her and Paige back, "upper-level demonic power."

Too shocked to be smug, Paige said, "Cole is a demon!"

"Mental collapse, do you see?" the Seer hoarsely questioned him.

"Oh, I see all right," Phoebe snapped. "I see this's all your fault! You manipulated everything from the moment you chose Cole to absorb the Hollow…the baby, the tonic, everything so you could become Source!"

Withstanding the pain, the Seer still declared, "The pregnancy was foreseen and you need to be careful or it will destroy you."

"The only one who will be destroyed," Cole coolly said, "is you." And before she could say another word, he threw a fireball at her that instantly reduced her to a pile of ash. And when Phoebe's flame turned on him, he simply smiled, "You see, Phoebe? I believe in you. You had no reason to lie to me while the Seer…let's just say you've already solved for me a future problem." He held out his hand to her, "Come with me, Phoebe. I love you and I want us to be together."

'_Did Phoebe really just vanquish the Seer?_' Piper stared at the pile of ash, "What the hell just happened?"

Paige glanced up at Cole and watched the flame die from Phoebe's hand, "I think we've got a bigger problem than Cole being a demon again."

Leo orbed back just as he heard Phoebe's toneless introduction, "Piper, Paige, meet the new Source of all Evil." Confronting Cole, he glared, "When was the coronation? The Elders didn't know."

"The Elders are self-righteous idiots." Phoebe seemed in shock and Cole led her to the sofa nearly laughing when the others nervously stepped out of his way. '_At least I can end this absurd double life._' He turned back to Leo, "As a matter of fact, the coronation hasn't happened yet. The Seer was supposed to be putting together the details while I attended to," he glanced down at his wife, "other matters."

"The we still have a chance to stop it," Leo realized.

"Damn right," Paige muttered as she orbed out of the room.

"How?" Piper asked her husband as she leaned against him, grateful for the protective arm he threw around her shoulders.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Phoebe whispered. "Why haven't I gone back?"

"Are you saying you're from the future?" Cole inquired. '_This could change everything. How do I turn it into my advantage?_'

"She's not from the future," Leo corrected.

Phoebe laughed bitterly, "Of course I am, Leo. Only now that I've changed the past, I seem to be stuck here."

"You haven't changed anything," Leo assured her.

"I didn't know," she spoke to Cole as memories caught her unaware, "or maybe I didn't want to know, just like the Seer told me. She's the one who convinced me to "save" you from the wizard. Some affair, that coronation. Every upper level demon was there to see the new Source and his queen. And what a laugh they had when they learned she was a former Charmed One. They thought it was the start of a new era." She let Cole wipe away a tear that ran down her cheek and even let him hold her hand as the memories became more painful. "The Seer and her tonic. Oh, I handled the evil all right. I played right into her hand. I wonder if she knew that I would end up vanquishing you because of it. Or was that just an early bonus for her?" She pulled Cole's hand to her abdomen, "This evil was what she was after all along. She transferred the baby into her own body and then we destroyed her and the new Source within her."

"Phoebe, no…" he whispered as he withdrew his hand and stood. "No."

But she continued, lost in her memories, "And then you came back and sent my life into a tailspin." Tears filled her eyes as she gazed up at him, "It took me years to get over what happened but I finally found happiness again. With Coop…"

Coop cleared his throat, "I'm flattered, Phoebe, but that's not the way things work. Cupids don't fall in love with their charges, they don't fall in love period."

"You didn't plan it," she quietly told him. "Neither of us did. In fact, falling in love with anyone was the last thing I wanted when we were preparing to go up against -- look, Coop, it happened. We fell in love and we got married, by an Angel of Destiny no less. And now we have three beautiful little girls with a fourth one on the way…"

"Enough of this fairy tale!" Cole exploded. "Phoebe I know you believe what you're saying but none of it's true. It's the shock of the pregnancy and what you did to the Seer. Go into the bedroom and lie down and we'll talk about this later."

"Don't patronize me," she snapped as she stood toe-to-toe with him, "I'm telling you the truth. I am married to Coop!"

"The truth," he retorted, "is that we love each other and we're having a baby!"

"You're not listening to me!"

"Okay, Pheebs," Piper carefully stepped forward and gently tugged her younger sister back, "take it easy. This's a lot for all of us to understand. Cole, if you really love Phoebe, you'll let us take her home until we can figure out what to do."

Cole shook his head, "And let you convince her to go ahead and vanquish me? Sorry, Piper. Phoebe's my wife and she's having my baby. You're right, I do love her but I'm not letting her go anywhere with you. And if you're halfway as smart as I believe you to be, you'll take the others and go home. Alone."

"Love isn't enough!" Phoebe shouted. "Why can't you understand that, Cole? We can't overcome the evil and the temptations and risking everything for love will only tear us all apart! And this time…I swear, Cole, I'll do whatever it takes to protect myself, my children…"

Cole noticed the way her hand settled protectively on her belly and he reminded her. "That is our child, Phoebe, not some cupid's. He was conceived in love and no one will take him from us."

She immediately dropped her hand, "This baby was meant to be evil and was never ours no matter how he was conceived. Whose idea was it, Cole? Yours? I doubt it. The Seer manipulated everything from his conception to -- she manipulated everyone and especially you."

"So," he countered, "you believe I'm innocent but won't trust me enough to save our --"

But an unexpected wave of nausea sent Phoebe running back to the bathroom before she could respond.

Piper jumped from the sound of the slammed door and stared at Cole who, for the first time that morning, seemed unconfident. "Leo, if Phoebe isn't from the future, what did the Elders say?"

"Near as they can figure," he replied as he kept an eye on a silent Cole, "Phoebe had a premonition coinciding with her faint and she lived it while she was unconscious."

"That's impossible," Piper argued, "Phoebe's premonitions aren't that powerful."

Coop also watched Cole watching for Phoebe's reappearance, "Maybe her subconscious used the opportunity to warn her about Cole being the Source, about the need to vanquish him."

"Watch it, Loverboy," Cole warned, "I can make sure her premonition about you never comes true."

"Some things are meant to be," Piper quietly told him. "What'd the Seer say about mental collapse? I'm sorry, Cole, I know Phoebe loves you but there may not be any other way to save her."

"As if Phoebe would vanquish me," he scoffed. "Did it ever occur to you that the baby, predicted to be the most powerful magical being, might be augmenting her power and she simply couldn't handle it? She might not be ready for such an advancement and what had started off as a premonition turned into a case of sensory overload."

"But it's still true, isn't it?" she challenged. "You're still the Source. You're still our enemy and out to destroy us."

"I need Phoebe and she needs you…alive," he reluctantly admitted. '_Did you think I kept saving you out of the mere goodness of my heart?_'

"You need her," she repeated. "But what about love, Cole? Do you love her or has the Source killed that too?"

"He loves her," Coop verified before Cole could respond. "Deep down, he does. It's his weakness." He turned to Cole, "But love isn't a weakness, Cole. Once you believe that, you'll --"

"Don't preach to me, Cupid."

"We're taking Phoebe home with us," Paige announced when she suddenly returned.

"Not unless you want to join the Seer," Cole threatened.

"You won't get that chance."

"How do plan to stop me?" he laughed. "In case you weren't paying attention, I'm the Source."

"Same as we did before," Paige smirked. "Crystals," she ordered as they orbed to the floor in a ring surrounding him.

'_Our little sister's really grown in her powers._' "You've never done anything like that before, Paige."

"Nothing like a little motivation," Paige quipped to her sister before turning to Cole. "You were saying…"

"What have you done?" Phoebe gasped in horror at the sight of Cole in the crystal trap they'd designed for the Source. '_It's happening all over again!_'

"Tell them to remove it, Phoebe," Cole told her. "I don't know what you saw in your premonition but only I can make sure your sisters stay alive. And I swear to you, I will protect them."

"Why would you do that?" Paige exclaimed in disbelief.

"Because I love Phoebe and even the damn Cupid believes it!"

Piper looked from one younger sister to the other, "Phoebe, sweetie, if it's as bad as you think, there's only one way to set it right, to give you that happy future you saw in your premonition."

'_Piper doesn't believe me._' Phoebe shook her head sadly, "I don't think it's bad, Piper. I know it's bad because it wasn't a premonition. It was all real and I lived it."

"What'd I miss? I thought Phoebe was from the future," Paige suddenly asked Piper. "You're saying she only had a premonition?"

"The Elders believe she had a premonition, an extension of her power possibly brought on by the stresses of the pregnancy," Leo explained, "that led her to actually live what she was seeing."

"It's the truth, Leo," Phoebe practically cried. "My power does advance that way. I can experience a premonition. But that's not what happened here! I really did come back in time!" She spun to face Cole as tears flowed down her cheeks, "You have to understand, it has to be this way."

"You love me, Phoebe, you won't do this."

"That's why I have to do this," she ruefully whispered as she covered her mouth and stepped back to her sisters' sides, reaching for their hands.

'_Then maybe this is for the best if she's already given up._' Standing tall before her, he gazed at her and said, "I love you, Phoebe, and I always will. Love is what brought Cole Turner to life and love is what will keep him alive."

'_Why do I always have to lose you like this?_' Phoebe buried her face in Piper's shoulder, "Now before I lose my nerve."

"Prudence, Patricia, Penelope, Melinda, Astrid --"

"Phoebe what's wrong?" Piper asked in surprise when Phoebe's voice suddenly trailed away.

"The wizard," she whispered as she slowly stepped away from Piper and moved back towards Cole.

"Phoebe," Paige warily requested, "come back here."

"Could you do it?" Phoebe asked Cole. "Could you finish the ritual with him, the one I interrupted before?"

"Wizards are dangerous," he warned her. "There's a reason they're going extinct and I don't want you messing with one."

She stepped even closer to the trap, "In a weak moment, you once confessed you were sorry you weren't able to finish transferring power to the wizard before I'd killed him. Do you mean that?" Without waiting for an answer, she knelt before him, "Maybe that's why I'm really here," she removed a crystal and carefully stood, "maybe I'm here to give you that chance."

"Phoebe, no, what're you doing?" Paige called to her. "Put it back."

"He's the Source, Phoebe," Piper agreed, "we can't let him get away, even if it is Cole."

Phoebe gripped the crystal tightly and kept her eyes on Cole, "He won't. Not if he truly loves me."

'_This could be a way to kill two birds…_' "Could you find him?" Cole asked simply.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I wasn't at the manor when he first showed up so I don't have the details." She caught his inquisitive expression and shrugged, "It wasn't something I wanted to talk about after it all ended."

"This is such a bad idea," Paige muttered. "Crystal."

"No!" Phoebe fell to her knees, grabbed the crystal back, and took some deep breaths when the edges of her vision began to darken. She felt Cole's arms suddenly pull her close to him and she simply let him while she closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"What if it can save Cole?" Piper questioned her youngest sister as she pointed to Cole and Phoebe. '_It would be so much easier if he didn't love her._'

"Love is worth the risk," Coop quietly recommended.

"Put the crystal back, Phoebe," Cole whispered in her ear as he gently pushed her back. He got to his feet and took a few steps back into the center of the ring. "They won't trust me unless you do." But when Phoebe hesitated, he nodded encouragingly, "It's okay."

"What makes you think we'll trust you anyway?"

"Don't antagonize him, Paige," Piper sighed. "Look, Cole, if this doesn't work, we will vanq--"

"Just do what you have to do," he said, "and take care of Phoebe."

"Piper," Leo directed as Phoebe carefully stood, "I'll stay with Phoebe while she gets dressed. You and Paige check the Book of Shadows and see if you can find a way to call for a wizard. We'll join you in a little while."

"And that, I suppose," Coop announced, "is my cue to leave." He focused on Phoebe and Cole and advised, "Don't give up on love. It's the only thing that will save you and your future."

"Oh, Coop," Phoebe burst into tears and ran from the room.

Piper looked from Coop to Cole, shrugged as she shook her head, and followed her sister into the bedroom.

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	4. part 3

_**Part Three**_

Phoebe sat quietly on the sofa, curled up in the corner with a pillow, unable to look at Cole trapped in the cage. In the end, she hadn't had the strength to join the others in the attic. Piper had made her a cup of real tea and had rather reluctantly left her alone with Cole. '_I don't know what to say to him._' She chuckled sadly to herself, '_After all these years, I finally have the chance to talk to him and I don't have a clue what to say._'

Cole had shed his jacket and tie shortly after the others had left but only recently had he rolled up his shirtsleeves while he waited for their return. And in all that time, he had remained standing within the trap while he paced and watched his wife huddled forlornly on the sofa. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth," he sincerely told her.

Phoebe merely nodded. '_Why aren't they back yet? Don't they know this is torture?_'

"Do you hate me that much you can't even look at me?"

"I don't hate you, Cole." Her voice cracked. "I never did, not really." She slowly met his gaze, "But you hurt me so badly. I gave you my heart and soul and I was nearly destroyed when it all went to hell."

"I never wanted you to be hurt," he threw his hands up in exasperation. '_What will it take to convince her?_'

"But it happened," she shrugged as she hugged the pillow. "We hurt each other. And the more you wanted to make it better, the worse it got. Until there was nothing good left to hold onto."

"I can't believe that," he argued. "We love each other, Phoebe. Aren't you the one who says we can do anything so long as we love each other?"

"I was wrong," she whispered. She set aside the pillow and slowly stood.

He darted forward, heedless of the trap, to help her when she swayed. The electric shock sent him staggering back a few steps.

"I'm okay," she told him as she steadied herself. Slowly approaching him, she confessed, "I was so relieved when it was finally over because neither one of us would be hurt anymore. But then I became so angry with you, with myself, for having let it happen. Things spun out of control, Cole, and all…all I'd ever wanted was to love you."

He raised a hand to her, palm flat to the invisible wall of the trap without touching it.

Phoebe slowly raised her hand to meet his, the barrier sandwiched between their palms.

He managed a smile, "If there's any good that can come from what you saw go wrong, believe it's that I love you."

"I do," she whispered. "And even though I treasure my life with Coop and our girls, I want, I need, you to know that there's a part of my heart that will always belong to you."

He was about to reply when her sisters returned with Leo and a short fellow shabbily dressed in a brown robe. "The wizard, I presume."

The wizard grinned and rubbed his hands together, "We'll need the Grimoire."

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Paige watched with curiosity as the wizard kept checking the Grimoire. "Watch it, pal," she warned when he narrowly missed stepping on her foot.

"You're in my space," he replied unapologetically as he set a ring of lit candles around the Grimoire's stand.

"Come here Paige," Piper requested and indicated that Paige stand next to her. She then glanced at Phoebe who, thankfully, had some color back in her face. "You okay, Pheebs?"

Phoebe hadn't removed her gaze from Cole who had surprisingly volunteered to return to the trap after having retrieved the Grimoire from the Underworld. '_Why is he doing this? Does he really think it will change anything? I'm going back to Coop and my girls as soon as he's free._' It was his eyes glancing towards Piper that made her realize Piper had spoken. "Oh, yeah, Piper, I'm okay."

"Will this work?" Leo asked the wizard.

"It might if you all stop crowding me!"

Piper wished it was over just so she could vanquish the little twerp. Until she realized the twerp was about to become Source. '_I hope Phoebe's up to this because we'll need to move fast in order to trap him._'

"Tell me again what will happen after the transfer," Cole demanded.

The wizard rolled his eyes and parroted his earlier agreement, "I get the Source's powers and you never see me again."

"Just so we're clear," Cole reminded him, "because otherwise you'll wish you had it as easy as the other wizards when they were destroyed."

The wizard turned to Piper with annoyance, "I can't do anything with him stuck in there."

"Fine," Paige muttered, "but you're both history if you try anything." She bent down and removed one of the crystals.

Cole stepped out of the ring and paused by the sisters, lightly brushing his fingertips along Phoebe's pale cheek, before he stood opposite the wizard. The wizard had just cut his arm over the Grimoire so Cole extended his own. He didn't even wince when the wizard sliced it and he watched as their blood dripped onto the ritual's page in the Grimoire.

The wizard began to chant and smoke rose from the Grimoire. Both the wizard and Cole were lifted off the floor and white light shone from their bodies.

Paige grabbed Piper's arm as a spirit form began to split away from Cole's suspended body.

Phoebe whispered a little prayer for Cole as the wizard's chant grew more intense and the spirit was suddenly ripped completely away from Cole and absorbed into the wizard's body.

After another few moments, the bodies of the wizard and Cole settled back on the floor.

The wizard looked down at his arms, patted his chest, and smiled at them with satisfaction, "Excellent, if I do say so myself."

Phoebe stepped away from her sisters towards Cole who seemed slightly dazed, "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"Free," he smiled gratefully to her before he collapsed at her feet.

"Cole!"

"What happened to him?" Piper questioned the wizard as Phoebe gathered Cole in her arms.

He shrugged with mock innocence, "Did I forget to mention the possible side effects?"

"What side effects?" Paige glared at him.

He shrugged again, "Death?" To Cole, he smiled, "I told you you'd never see me again." He turned around and grabbed the Grimoire, "Now, I've got some revenge to take, so, as a reward for your help, I'll let you live…for now."

"Oh no you don't," Paige uttered before pointing to the crystal trap, "Wizard."

Before he could react, the wizard found himself orbed into the center of the crystal ring.

"Did I forget to mention possible side effects?" she smirked as she quickly set in place the last crystal.

Piper hurried to Paige's side and called to Phoebe, "Now."

All three witches chanted together, "Prudence, Patricia, Penelope, Melinda, Astrid, Helena, Laura, and Grace. Halliwell witches stand strong beside us, vanquish this evil from time and space."

Phoebe hunched over Cole while her sisters huddled together and all three repeated the spell as wind blew throughout the room and the wizard began to catch fire.

In the middle of their third repeat, the wizard exploded with a shockwave that shook the penthouse.

"Hurry, Leo," Phoebe requested, "you have to heal Cole!" But when Leo hesitated, she yelled, "He's an innocent! You know that."

"It's not that, Phoebe," he sadly shook his head, "it's just that…" He turned to Piper who was already approaching her sister. "He's gone, Phoebe. There's nothing I can do for him."

"No," Phoebe uttered in a hushed tone as she hugged Cole tighter to her. "He's not gone. Piper, he's not gone. He can't be gone, not after I finally did what I was meant to do."

Piper tried to pry her sister free from Cole's body, "It'll be okay, sweetie, I promise. Let's take you home now."

"No!" Phoebe refused to budge, "He's not dead."

"You were right, Phoebe," Paige conceded. "In the end, Cole did the right thing. He loved you and he did the right thing. But sometimes it's not enough. Some things are just meant to be."

'_My love will keep him alive._' Phoebe's head snapped up, "The Wasteland!"

Paige and Piper exchanged confused looks. "Leo?"

"She might mean the demonic wasteland," he shrugged. "It's where demonic powers go after a demon's vanquished. But, Phoebe, Cole died an innocent, his soul wouldn't go there."

"It might," she considered, "if he still had a century of evil to atone for. Paige, light those candles again." Then, mumbling to herself she tried to recall the spell for finding a lost love. "Whither my love…whither my love…dammit! I can't go blank now."

Piper brushed back Phoebe's hair and helped her sister settle Cole's body on the floor. "C'mon, Pheebs, calm down. Take a deep breath or you won't do anyone any good. Now, was this a spell you created especially for Cole?"

"No, it was in the Book," Phoebe automatically replied as she kept her eyes on Cole. "Whither my love, wherever you be…through…through…" She began to cry when the rest of the spell wouldn't come to her.

"It's okay, Phoebe," Piper assured her, "Paige will go home and copy the spell from the Book. Just relax and take some deep breaths."

"No, wait!" Phoebe called out just as Paige began to orb. "I remember it now!"

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'_I'd forgotten how hard it was to breathe here._' And how desolate it was with the red sky and rocky landscape. Lightning filled the sky and she jumped at the sound of Cole's voice. "Thank God, I was afraid I was wrong."

'_Happy to see me?_' As much as he'd have liked otherwise, he kept his distance. "Why are you here? You got what you wanted, I'm out of your life and now you're free to be with that cupid."

"I wanted you to be free," she argued. "I didn't want you dead, Cole, I never wanted that. And I certainly didn't want you to end up here in this limbo. That's why I'm here. To tell you that this time I'll work on a spell to get you safely out of here."

"Maybe that's not such a good idea," he suggested. "Didn't you tell me that it all went to hell after I came back? Why would you want to risk that again by freeing me?"

"Because you don't belong here!"

'_Maybe I do._' "Maybe it's the only way to keep me from hurting you."

"Cole --"

"No, Phoebe," he interrupted. "You saved me, more than once, and for that I'll always be grateful, but I won't jeopardize your life or what's left of our love. Go home. Live your life and be happy, no regrets."

"I can't, Cole, not if you're stuck here. Let me help you. Please, I need to do this for you."

'_She really means it._' He tipped her chin slightly with his fingertips, "On two conditions. And I want the truth, Phoebe. Not the version you think best for me to hear. I need the whole truth no matter how painful." After she nodded, he asked, "You say you love the cupid and your children but did you ever once, even for a single moment, wish it had been different?" '_Wish it had been me?_'

She softly jerked her chin away and her voice cracked as she confessed, "Yes." But she quickly had to clarify, "But only for a moment, here or there, when I'd start to think of the 'what ifs'. I've made my life with Coop and I love him. I want to be with him." Her heart nearly broke from the pained expression on his face and she quickly held his hand and pressed it to her heart, "I swear to you, Cole, there was a time I thought you were my true love, that I was meant to grow old with you. I never thought there was anyone else meant for me, for being the father of my children. My world revolved around you and only you."

He nodded and with his free hand traced the contour of her chin, "Two, tell me about your life. From the moment you had originally interrupted the wizard's ritual to the moment you woke up this morning. I want to hear about everything as you lived it."

"You believe me? That I'm from the future?"

"I believe you lived it through a premonition," he carefully replied. "And…I believe you love us both."

The reminder of Coop caused Phoebe to back away, "I don't want to hurt you. There were some things…I don't want to embarrass you or make you regret things you haven't done. And I certainly don't want to add to it by talking more about Coop and my life with him."

"I need to know," he insisted. "If you really want me out of here, I won't be responsible for hurting you. I love you too much to put you through that pain again."

"You won't," she assured him, "because I've changed the past. You're free, Cole, truly free to be yourself."

"Not quite," he reminded her. "I can't afford to make any mistakes because," he lightly pressed his hand to her abdomen, "I'm still a part of your life, Phoebe, and I won't abandon my child, not even if you're in love with the cupid."

'_Oh, God, oh, God, it is different now! The Seer never transferred the baby! I'm, oh, God, I'm still pregnant!_'

'_Dammit, I shouldn't have reminded her._' "Phoebe, are you okay? Talk to me, babe…"

Still stunned, it was several moments before Phoebe slowly met his gaze and mutely nodded her agreement.

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"You're in no position to make demands," Paige exclaimed, "when you've only been out of the Wasteland for three days!"

"Give it up, Paige," he rolled his eyes as he stood in the center of the attic, "I'm no longer the Source, I've still got powers, I'm still employed, and I'm still a part of your sister's life."

"Not once the divorce is final," she reminded him.

"Your sister does know you're having my baby, right?" he drolly questioned Phoebe who remained sitting quietly on the sofa.

"Enough, both of you," Piper intervened after taking one look at Phoebe. "Everyone, out of the attic. Cole, go home. Phoebe will call you when we've decided what to do about the Angel of Destiny's offer. Phoebe, go to your room and lie down. I'll bring you some soup in a little while. And, Paige, turn off the radio, it's giving me a headache. We'll decide what to do about this Agent Jackman later."

"I'll use my connections to dig into his background." Cole caught Piper's skeptical look and assured her, "My legal connections. Meanwhile," he cautioned, "be careful around this guy. He's just itching for a way to trap you and that makes him very dangerous." To Phoebe, he asked, "What time's your doctor's appointment?"

"You don't have to come with me."

"I want to be there."

"I mean that nothing's going to happen," she sighed. '_Can't we have just five minutes without arguing?_' "It's just going to be a short preliminary visit."

"I want to be there." '_Stop acting so damned sad about it._' "This is a miracle, Phoebe. Can't you let go of the premonition and enjoy it even for a minute?"

'_Don't you think I want to?_' She folded her arms across her belly and tried to keep herself from crying. "I've barely accepted the idea that the past decade and a half hasn't actually happened. And even though some of the details are fading, I can't pretend not to be upset that those little girls don't exist. They're still real to me, Cole. I remember the way they moved inside me, the moment they were born, the days they took their first steps, first used their powers. They're still my babies."

'_And you still think our baby's evil._' In frustration, he grabbed the Book of Shadows from the stand, half-catching a glimpse of Paige's expressed indignation that he could do it, and he shoved the tome into Phoebe's hands. "You're not evil, Phoebe. The Book knows it, hell, even the Grimoire knew it when it jumped out of your reach. The baby you're carrying is good, an innocent."

'_Don't you think I know that?_' Phoebe offered the Book back to Piper and then turned away from everyone. No one said anything as she made her way to the door.

"Phoebe, wait," Paige called out, "you didn't drink your potion."

Cole spun to Piper for explanation. "Is something wrong with the baby? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It didn't concern you," Paige sniped before catching the look on Phoebe's face. "Sorry," she half-heartedly apologized to him.

Piper shook her head as Phoebe wearily returned and accepted the glass. "Grams and I did a little brainstorming to see if we could counteract whatever the Seer may have done in making sure Phoebe got pregnant. You're right that the baby is innocent but the baby's also powerful and it might help Phoebe with --"

"Thank you," was all he said as he watched Phoebe drink the contents of the glass. He managed to restrain himself from smiling when she grimaced from its evidently lousy taste.

Just as he began to shimmer, Phoebe blurted out, "It's at three and the doctor always runs late."

Cole remained in the room and waited for her to continue. But when she didn't, he nodded and started to shimmer.

"All it means is that you're the father of this baby and have a right to be involved in his life," she warned. "It doesn't have anything to do with us."

'_That's what you think._' He smiled at her, "I'll see you at three."

Piper hugged her younger sister as soon as Cole left them alone. "It'll be okay, Pheebs. We're here for you."

"I miss Coop," Phoebe sniffled, "I miss my girls."

Piper glanced at Paige who shrugged sadly in return, "I don't know if that'll come true, sweetie. All I can say is that Grams always believed everything happens for a reason. But you will get through this, I promise you that."

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	5. epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

Pain. "Reason this, you son of a bitch, if you ever touch me again, I will send you straight back to hell, do not pass go, do not collect $200!" And almost proving her point, Phoebe squeezed Cole's hand until his knuckles turned white.

Anger. "Don't encourage him by telling him that's the most creative one you've ever heard!" But the pain abruptly ended and she realized she was too tired to do anything about the moronic nurse chuckling at Cole. She collapsed back into the pillow and simply tried to catch her breath as she closed her eyes.

Frustration. "I heard that!" '_How dare Cole mutter to the nurse that I can do it._'

Rage. "You bastard…I don't even want to look at you…this's all your fault!" She'd barely had a chance to recover before the next contraction immediately intensified. "What the hell…happened to…the nice long…slow ones?" She continued to grip Cole's hands as she pushed.

Surprise. "Did you just tell me to shut up?" She lost focus and tried to curl onto her side, her fingers still entwined with Cole's.

Anxiety. "Where…where are you going? You're leaving?" Her heart pounded and she couldn't manage to turn herself to follow his movements. She gasped when she felt his strong arms pull her into his after he'd switched positions to the other side of the bed. "It hurts…"

Relief. "It's over…" She leaned into his embrace and took a deep breathe, exhaling it slowly just like he was coaching. "Oh, no, another one…"

Hopelessness. "It's not working, I've been…pushing for…hours…" She squeezed his hand tightly as he helped lean her forward.

Exhaustion. "No, I can't, Cole, I need to rest." The pain was too much and she couldn't manage to continue pushing and she tried to bury her face in his chest. "Make it stop."

Courage. "Easy for you to say, you bastard!" She gripped his hand and grimaced with the pain, "You're not the one in the stirrups!"

Ferocity. "Don't…let…go…" She gave up trying to speak and concentrated on pushing with all her might to the steady count of Cole's voice until she felt the sudden release from her body.

Shock. "Oh God, Cole, do you hear him?" She weakly stretched her arms around his waist and held him as their son's loud cries echoed in the birthing room.

Love. "Oh, Cole, look at him, he's beautiful." Phoebe looked from the messy newborn on her chest to Cole's face and smiled at the love reflected in his eyes. Her fingers joined his in gently touching their son, counting ten fingers and ten toes.

Awe. "He's so tiny, lookit those tiny fingernails." Her teary eyes met Cole's shiny ones and she pointed out, "Look how long he is, he's gonna be tall just like his daddy."

Confidence. "He's ours, Cole." She sighed happily when Cole pressed a firm kiss to her forehead. She knew he'd understood what she meant, that there wasn't a trace of the evil in their son that the Seer had predicted.

Joy. "I love you, Benjamin Dillon Turner." She inched over with some discomfort so Cole could settle next to her. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she assured him, "No, I don't want to change his name. It's perfect, after your father and the faith we've found in each other." But the tears fell from her eyes as Cole reached for his son and she nuzzled his arm.

Exhilaration. "Yes, you are his daddy and you always will be." Her fingers resumed their accounting of their squirming son's appendages as she pressed herself closer to Cole's side. "No, you did great."

Peace. "I've got an amazing life and wouldn't trade it for anything." When his surprised expression met her gaze, Phoebe reached up and stroked his scruffy cheek. And she promised her husband, "And I meant every word with all my heart and soul."

_**The End**_


End file.
